show how the beauty of nature often comes coupled with destruction or sadness. For example, an image by Michael Lau titled ‘Youngsters Wrestling’ shows a pair of young leopards play-fighting in a Kenyan Forest. This image is beautiful, displaying the innocence and natural curiosity of two young siblings, yet simultaneously showing the threat of destruction these animals face in the wild. Another image by Sarah Wouters titled ‘Lurking in the Shallows’ shows an adult female copper shark lurking in the dark and shallow water of South Africa’s Walsh Bay. While this image is captivating, the allusive light and eerie background gives a sense of danger that is present in many of the natural habitats these animals inhabit. Both images demonstrate the beauty of the natural world as well as the consequences of human interactions with wildlife.
Images of ‘wonder and woe’ in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition
